DNC Chair Ken Martin: Democrats Should Repeal Trump's Tariffs and End the War in Iran

Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC, the body that leads the party in the United States), said that Democrats should first repeal the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump and then end the war in Iran.¹ He said so to NewsNation after the midterm elections, the vote held halfway through a presidential term, which in this case covered the House and the Senate. For now this is a political commitment: none of these measures has been passed.¹²

What Martin said

Martin spoke with journalist Blake Burman. He explained that exit polls, surveys of voters as they leave the polling stations, show a widespread view: the country is heading in the wrong direction.¹ “I think the first thing to do is to repeal the tariffs that Donald Trump has introduced,” he said. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods.¹ The second priority, according to Martin, is to end the war, which in his view is driving up energy and fuel costs at a time when many people are already anxious about economic hardship.¹ After tariffs and the war, he added, Democrats should focus on an agenda against the high cost of living, to reform health care and against corruption. Martin expects that within the first hundred days the House and the Senate will move in a “very aggressive” way to undo many policies of the Trump administration.¹

The veto problem

The Hill notes that in order to exercise its constitutional authority over tariffs, Congress would first have to override a presidential veto, which is judged extremely likely. Overriding it takes 67 votes, so Democrats would have to win over a sizable share of Republicans, something the paper describes as anything but easy.¹ The same goes for the war in Iran. The Senate has come close several times to passing a resolution to withdraw troops, but has never reached a simple majority. That measure, too, would be subject to a veto and would require 67 votes to override it.¹ Trump has already hinted at how he intends to proceed. After telling the New York Times that he was “absolutely willing to accept” the result and wanted to “work with the Democrats,” he posted on social media an image of a red cap with the word “VETO” on it.²³

What is confirmed and what is not

Martin’s words are confirmed. When The Hill published the interview, Decision Desk HQ, an election forecasting service, had only predicted that Democrats would probably win both chambers.¹ Later reports from Dawn, based on media projections, speak of a Democratic victory in both the House and the Senate. France 24 reports that Trump said the Democrats did “a good job” and admitted that the war in Iran may have weighed on the defeat, without taking personal responsibility for it.²⁴³ It is not confirmed that the measures Martin named will become law. It is unclear whether Democrats will find the Republican votes needed to override a veto, and the new Congress will not be seated until January.¹⁵

What other Democratic leaders say

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has also promised swift action on the cost of living and the war in Iran. In the first hundred hours, he said, he wants to restore the expired subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and reverse cuts to Medicaid of nearly a trillion dollars enacted under Trump. He also wants to reduce tariffs and push for an end to the conflict.⁵ Dawn notes, however, that Democrats will not have a free hand: besides Trump’s veto, Senate rules allow Republicans to obstruct most legislation.⁵ According to Dawn, the vote reflected anger over the cost of living, tariffs and the war against Iran, which has pushed up fuel prices.²³

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. DNC chair says Democrats should repeal Trump tariffs, end Iran war if they win power, The Hill, 2026-11-04 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

2. US midterms: Democrats projected to win Congress in major setback for Trump, Dawn, 2026-11-04 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. US midterms: Democrats win US Congress in midterm rout of Trump, Dawn, 2026-11-04 ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Trump congratulates Democrats on midterms win, says Iran war played role, France 24, 2026-11-04 ↩

5. Democratic takeover of US Congress: What happens next, Dawn, 2026-11-04 ↩ ↩² ↩³